The title of the book I am reading is a series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the name of the specific book I choose is The Lighting Thief, this book is the first one in the series. I ended up choosing this book because I was looking for a book that was not too long and one that I could possibly enjoy. I found this on my bookshelf and read the back of the book, the seemed interesting enough and it was too long. From time to time I enjoy reading about Greek myths, so this was the book for me and it was perfect for this project. To see if this book was really in fact too go to be true, I started to read the first few pages of it. After reading the first few pages I figured out that this book was perfect for this project and that I would enjoy reading it.
The genre
The genre this book fits into is fiction; I say this because these Greek myths never actually took place. All of them are just stories and beliefs of Greeks; the book is based off very intricate stories. The myths are very interesting and creative but nevertheless they are still just stories. The main character, Percy Jackson, is just an average kid which makes the book maybe a little more realistic but what the book is based off of are still just legends. This book could also be put under the genre of mystery, I say this because throughout the entire book, the main character, Percy, is trying to figure out who the lighting thief is. This works out as a mystery as well because part of the adventure or story is to figure out who the lighting thief is. The other part is trying to figure out were certain pearls are that could bring them to the underworld. They go through puzzles and have to figure a lot out before they can get to these pearls, this is why I consider this to also be a puzzle, another genre this book could fit into.
Summary
The book starts out when the main character, Percy is at school when a monster called a fury attacks him and asks him for a lighting bolt that the monster thought he had. Then Percy's best friend and teacher, Grover and Mr. Brunner, come into the room and scare the monster away. Now we know that Percy is not safe and he is accused of stealing a lighting bolt that he did not. Then Mr. Brunner and Grover take Percy to a camp for demi gods, a camp for kids who are offspring of a mortal parent and a god parent. Percy is Poseidon's son, which means he has control over water, once Percy is on his way to the camp; Hades, the god of the underworld sends a Minotaur to attack and capture Percy. Percy eventually defeats the Minotaur and proves his might as a demi god, when Percy does this, he faints. Percy wakes up to find himself in an old fashioned hospital with Grover sitting on the bed next to him. After Percy has regained his strength; they go walking throughout the camp and Grover introduces Percy to many other demi gods, one of them is named Anabeth, Percy feels a strong connection between him and her, but keeps walking. Then Grover takes him the shore where we find out that Percy's teacher, Mr. Brunner, is actually a centaur. Awhile later Mr. Brunner shows Percy to his cabin and explains everything to him and why he needs to stay inside the camp and train to be safe from monsters that are trying to capture him. After Mr. Brunner has this talk and is finished telling Percy information, Percy goes to one of their training sessions to practice or see what it is like. They play a deadly game of capture the flag and Percy in the end gets the flag and wins it for the team, proving that he is the son of Poseidon. After the battle Percy goes to the campfire with the rest of the group, when somehow Hades breaks the protective barrier of the camp and appears at the campfire. He tells Percy that if he gives him the bolt that he could have his mother back from the underworld. Percy is overwhelmed by this and returns to his cabin mad and frustrated. Percy then decides to go out and get her back from the underworld, on his way out he talks to a guy named Luke, the son of Hermes, and Percy gets a few things from him that could help him while traveling to the underworld. Another thing he gets was Anabeth and Grover, they both decide to join in this adventure with him. Luke tells them that they have to find 3 pearls to get out of the underworld once they get in, Luke gives them a map of where they all are in the United States of America. One in an old garden store, one in Washington D.C, and the last one in Las Vegas. In each of these places they battle monsters and other magical creatures, once they've got all the pearls they head for the entrance of the underworld. After the get in they get to Hades and ask him for his mom back and Percy tries to prove that he is not the lighting thief. Hades is enraged by this and keeps threatening to kill Percy's mother if he doesn't speak up. Eventually Hades finds the bolt in the arms strap of the shield that Luke gave him. Hades is not reasonable and does not listen to them and starts to send them o to the underworld. Persephone, Hades wife, helps knock Hades out and helps them escape. Once they have escaped with he lighting bolt, the attempt to return to Olympus, the empire state building. Once they get there they find Luke waiting for them and Percy and him battle for the lighting bolt. Eventually Percy kills Luke and gets the lighting bolt back from him, They get it to Olympus just in time before the gods pretty much lose their minds, then Percy returns to the camp and lives on.
Summary of the main characters
Percy: Percy is the main character who is the son of Poseidon, towards the beginning of the book Percy is reluctant to believe he is the son of Poseidon and runs away from his duty as a demi god. Eventually Percy comes to his sense and turns out to be a real hero and leader during this conflict between the gods. Percy also turns out to be a real hero and skilled warrior who takes down many strong foes that no ordinary kid could. Percy is a strong and confident leader, unlike at the beginning of the book when he is just discovering himself.
Anabeth: Anabeth becomes Percy's closet friend, aside from Grover. In the beginning she is already a strong leader and very self confident and thinks much of herself as a warrior and a leader. Anabeth is used to leading and not following, but we see this change and she begins to grow close to Percy and follow his command and lead on this adventure. Anabeth is already a very strong fighter and can fight very well from the start of the book. Overall Anabeth improves her skills as a warrior and makes a new a very close friend.
Mr. Brunner: Mr. Brunner, at the beginning of the book, appears to be an old man in a wheelchair. People see him as crippled and in able to defend or help himself. throughout the book we realize that he is actually a very powerful centaur that can really help himself and do what he needs to do on his own. He is one of the leaders of the camp and is a very well respected centaur by the gods and demi gods. he is pretty much the teacher and instructor of the young demi gods.
Luke: Luke is the son of Hermes and is a leader in one of the teams when the demi gods play games like capture the flag, he is the captain. He is a well respected demi god, not as respected as Mr. Brunner, but he is a favorite among the other demi gods. Luke reaches out to Percy by inviting him to join his team in the game of capture the flag and at the tart he appears to be a real friend to Percy and an overall good guy. Little do we know that Luke is actually working with Hades to get the lighting bolt of power to him. In the end Luke turns out to be a really bad guy and an enemy of the gods, Percy and other demi gods.
Grover: Grover is and always was Percy's best friend throughout the entire story, even before Anabeth. Grover protects and is always watching out for Percy, as this is his job and Percy's protector. Eventually we do find out that Grover is a satyr, half man and half goat. This is his true form and when he is outside of the camp he is always in crutches to conceal himself. Grover is a follower and not a leader, he is loyal and very helpful, he does his job as Percy's protector and helps Percy the entire story.
Percy's Mother: Percy's mom is just a regular, hard working, and caring mother. She looks out and tries to protect Percy while he is in the real world, because monsters are always trying to kill him. She is caring because she does look out for him and marries a disgusting man, who's smell masks the scent of Percy's, so this shows extreme care for Percy
Conflict
One of the main conflicts in the book is between Percy and his family. Percy has a rough life back at home and is always mad and nothing ever goes right with him and his family. Percy and his mother have a very special bond between them. However, Percy hates his father, his mortal father, they are always arguing, yelling at each other and they never like each other in anyway throughout the entire book. Percy's father is the real conflict and is causing all this turmoil in Percy's life at home and with his mother.
Another very important conflict is between the protagonist and the villain of the story, Percy, the protagonist, is fighting against an evil, that evil is Hades. Most of all the odds are against Percy, but Percy never fails and continues his quest throughout the book even against not very even odds.
Reviews from goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28187.The_Lightning_ThiefTitle, author, and reason for choosing the book
The title of the book I am reading is a series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the name of the specific book I choose is The Lighting Thief, this book is the first one in the series. I ended up choosing this book because I was looking for a book that was not too long and one that I could possibly enjoy. I found this on my bookshelf and read the back of the book, the seemed interesting enough and it was too long. From time to time I enjoy reading about Greek myths, so this was the book for me and it was perfect for this project. To see if this book was really in fact too go to be true, I started to read the first few pages of it. After reading the first few pages I figured out that this book was perfect for this project and that I would enjoy reading it.
The genre
The genre this book fits into is fiction; I say this because these Greek myths never actually took place. All of them are just stories and beliefs of Greeks; the book is based off very intricate stories. The myths are very interesting and creative but nevertheless they are still just stories. The main character, Percy Jackson, is just an average kid which makes the book maybe a little more realistic but what the book is based off of are still just legends. This book could also be put under the genre of mystery, I say this because throughout the entire book, the main character, Percy, is trying to figure out who the lighting thief is. This works out as a mystery as well because part of the adventure or story is to figure out who the lighting thief is. The other part is trying to figure out were certain pearls are that could bring them to the underworld. They go through puzzles and have to figure a lot out before they can get to these pearls, this is why I consider this to also be a puzzle, another genre this book could fit into.
Summary
The book starts out when the main character, Percy is at school when a monster called a fury attacks him and asks him for a lighting bolt that the monster thought he had. Then Percy's best friend and teacher, Grover and Mr. Brunner, come into the room and scare the monster away. Now we know that Percy is not safe and he is accused of stealing a lighting bolt that he did not. Then Mr. Brunner and Grover take Percy to a camp for demi gods, a camp for kids who are offspring of a mortal parent and a god parent. Percy is Poseidon's son, which means he has control over water, once Percy is on his way to the camp; Hades, the god of the underworld sends a Minotaur to attack and capture Percy. Percy eventually defeats the Minotaur and proves his might as a demi god, when Percy does this, he faints. Percy wakes up to find himself in an old fashioned hospital with Grover sitting on the bed next to him. After Percy has regained his strength; they go walking throughout the camp and Grover introduces Percy to many other demi gods, one of them is named Anabeth, Percy feels a strong connection between him and her, but keeps walking. Then Grover takes him the shore where we find out that Percy's teacher, Mr. Brunner, is actually a centaur. Awhile later Mr. Brunner shows Percy to his cabin and explains everything to him and why he needs to stay inside the camp and train to be safe from monsters that are trying to capture him. After Mr. Brunner has this talk and is finished telling Percy information, Percy goes to one of their training sessions to practice or see what it is like. They play a deadly game of capture the flag and Percy in the end gets the flag and wins it for the team, proving that he is the son of Poseidon. After the battle Percy goes to the campfire with the rest of the group, when somehow Hades breaks the protective barrier of the camp and appears at the campfire. He tells Percy that if he gives him the bolt that he could have his mother back from the underworld. Percy is overwhelmed by this and returns to his cabin mad and frustrated. Percy then decides to go out and get her back from the underworld, on his way out he talks to a guy named Luke, the son of Hermes, and Percy gets a few things from him that could help him while traveling to the underworld. Another thing he gets was Anabeth and Grover, they both decide to join in this adventure with him. Luke tells them that they have to find 3 pearls to get out of the underworld once they get in, Luke gives them a map of where they all are in the United States of America. One in an old garden store, one in Washington D.C, and the last one in Las Vegas. In each of these places they battle monsters and other magical creatures, once they've got all the pearls they head for the entrance of the underworld. After the get in they get to Hades and ask him for his mom back and Percy tries to prove that he is not the lighting thief. Hades is enraged by this and keeps threatening to kill Percy's mother if he doesn't speak up. Eventually Hades finds the bolt in the arms strap of the shield that Luke gave him. Hades is not reasonable and does not listen to them and starts to send them o to the underworld. Persephone, Hades wife, helps knock Hades out and helps them escape. Once they have escaped with he lighting bolt, the attempt to return to Olympus, the empire state building. Once they get there they find Luke waiting for them and Percy and him battle for the lighting bolt. Eventually Percy kills Luke and gets the lighting bolt back from him, They get it to Olympus just in time before the gods pretty much lose their minds, then Percy returns to the camp and lives on.
Summary of the main characters
Percy: Percy is the main character who is the son of Poseidon, towards the beginning of the book Percy is reluctant to believe he is the son of Poseidon and runs away from his duty as a demi god. Eventually Percy comes to his sense and turns out to be a real hero and leader during this conflict between the gods. Percy also turns out to be a real hero and skilled warrior who takes down many strong foes that no ordinary kid could. Percy is a strong and confident leader, unlike at the beginning of the book when he is just discovering himself.
Anabeth: Anabeth becomes Percy's closet friend, aside from Grover. In the beginning she is already a strong leader and very self confident and thinks much of herself as a warrior and a leader. Anabeth is used to leading and not following, but we see this change and she begins to grow close to Percy and follow his command and lead on this adventure. Anabeth is already a very strong fighter and can fight very well from the start of the book. Overall Anabeth improves her skills as a warrior and makes a new a very close friend.
Mr. Brunner: Mr. Brunner, at the beginning of the book, appears to be an old man in a wheelchair. People see him as crippled and in able to defend or help himself. throughout the book we realize that he is actually a very powerful centaur that can really help himself and do what he needs to do on his own. He is one of the leaders of the camp and is a very well respected centaur by the gods and demi gods. he is pretty much the teacher and instructor of the young demi gods.
Luke: Luke is the son of Hermes and is a leader in one of the teams when the demi gods play games like capture the flag, he is the captain. He is a well respected demi god, not as respected as Mr. Brunner, but he is a favorite among the other demi gods. Luke reaches out to Percy by inviting him to join his team in the game of capture the flag and at the tart he appears to be a real friend to Percy and an overall good guy. Little do we know that Luke is actually working with Hades to get the lighting bolt of power to him. In the end Luke turns out to be a really bad guy and an enemy of the gods, Percy and other demi gods.
Grover: Grover is and always was Percy's best friend throughout the entire story, even before Anabeth. Grover protects and is always watching out for Percy, as this is his job and Percy's protector. Eventually we do find out that Grover is a satyr, half man and half goat. This is his true form and when he is outside of the camp he is always in crutches to conceal himself. Grover is a follower and not a leader, he is loyal and very helpful, he does his job as Percy's protector and helps Percy the entire story.
Percy's Mother: Percy's mom is just a regular, hard working, and caring mother. She looks out and tries to protect Percy while he is in the real world, because monsters are always trying to kill him. She is caring because she does look out for him and marries a disgusting man, who's smell masks the scent of Percy's, so this shows extreme care for Percy
Conflict
One of the main conflicts in the book is between Percy and his family. Percy has a rough life back at home and is always mad and nothing ever goes right with him and his family. Percy and his mother have a very special bond between them. However, Percy hates his father, his mortal father, they are always arguing, yelling at each other and they never like each other in anyway throughout the entire book. Percy's father is the real conflict and is causing all this turmoil in Percy's life at home and with his mother.
Another very important conflict is between the protagonist and the villain of the story, Percy, the protagonist, is fighting against an evil, that evil is Hades. Most of all the odds are against Percy, but Percy never fails and continues his quest throughout the book even against not very even odds.